International Hurdle

admit zarkandar's spirit but grandouet would be the one i'd take out of that for the champion hurdle.
 
Cracking ride from Ruby. That and Shooters Wood have been masterclasses in winning from the front in bad ground.
 
Masterclass from both Ruby and McCoy earlier when SW held off HE. Loved the way McCoy tucked in behind approaching the last out of Walsh's line of vision.

Very pleased with Grandouet this afternoon despite the defeat.
 
Connections of all three horses are entitled to be reasonably satisfied, I think, and I'd not dismiss Zarkander or ROR quite as readily as some. I know Grandouet was ridden in a particular way today, but he just doesn't entirely convince me that he will have the stomach for a scrap, should he ever cind himself in one.
 
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Grandouet is normally a brilliant traveler but I thought he was a bit too keen and racing today from the word go. There's a fine line between the two and the latter can make a massive difference to a horses performance

He looked to blow up coming down the hill and Barry did a great job of not panicking and let him get his second wind before having a crack at the winner without being too hard on him.

He still has Hurricane Fly to worry about but I am totally convinced he'll win the Champion Hurdle.

The Xmas hurdle is next and Nicky Henderson will want to win it with Binocular again.

I can't see any of the top notchers in the betting taking him on so 34 back to lay could be worth a few quid?????
 
Although he was getting 4lbs today, I wouldn't necessary rule out Zarkandar's being able to confirm the form with Grandouet at levels. While I was pleased with Grandouet (first run for a year conceding weight to a race-fit rival) I just wonder whether Geraghty was trying to nurse him up the hill. Zarkandar does look very gutsy and you imagine a stronger pace will suit him better.

This is shaping up to be a cracker of a championship. I just hope the ground is fair to them all come March.
 
Tanlic said:
The Xmas hurdle is next and Nicky Henderson will want to win it with Binocular again.

I can't see any of the top notchers in the betting taking him on so 34 back to lay could be worth a few quid?????
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Bincocular is apparently doubtful for the Xmas Hurdle, Tanlic, and Darlan is expected to be the McManus representative.
 
ROR ran as i thought on the ground..

Grandouet reminds me of a sea pigeon type..the pouncer after the last..i love that type of hurdler

Grandouet imo would not have wanted that ground as it blunts his speed..so giving the winner 4 and a race is a very good run

He is my idea of a CH winner at the moment...possibly could outkick the outkicker king HF come March

ROR will be a totally different kettle of fish though on better ground come March

building up to be a decent race this year
 
Whichever of the 3 you fancy for CH today wont really change your mind.
All ran cracking races.
Hope P Carberry gets on Grandouet if your assessment of him is correct EC1 and do a Bellvano/ Crackaway Jack/Fishermans Creek on him!
 
edgt said:
Whichever of the 3 you fancy for CH today wont really change your mind.
All ran cracking races.
Hope P Carberry gets on Grandouet if your assessment of him is correct EC1 and do a Bellvano/ Crackaway Jack/Fishermans Creek on him!
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Do you mean Frenchmans Creek?
 
I think ROR and Grandouet will reverse the form with Zarkandar

Grandouet will also be better suited to the old course rather than the one in which they run today.
 
Grasshopper said:
Connections of all three horses are entitled to be reasonably satisfied, I think, and I'd not dismiss Zarkander or ROR quite as readily as some. I know Grandouet was ridden in a particular way today, but he just doesn't entirely convince me that he will have the stomach for a scrap, should he ever cind himself in one.
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You may have a point, as neither ground or fitness seemed to be an issue approaching the last, and (on reflection) he didn't find nearly as much as seemed likely, at the same stage last year.
 
Thank for the up on Binocular Grassy (Been pissed all week and missed the news).

Fitness not an issue Reet?

Certainly not the way I saw it. Barry has brought him there at the second last cruising but when they quickened coming down the hill he immediately loses 2 lengths. The injection of pace wasn't massive and no way was that deliberate on Barry's part.
Watch his hand movement, he was actually niggling at him to go with them but the response wasn't there which is not like Grandouet at all

The fact he's put his head down half way up the run in and ran all the way to the line shows just how willing he is........Maybe one should look back to the previous years race when they jumped the last 3 in a line if you doubt his resolution. Not even a hint of a horse who wouldn't be up for a fight.

I'd have to disagree and say match fitness or the lack of it played a huge part in the result

By all accounts he was looking very fit at home but that's not the racecourse and neither is the ground they work on testing.

I'll stick to my guns and reckon he'll kick both of them into touch at Cheltenham
 
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Tanlic said:
I'll stick to my guns and reckon he'll kick both of them into touch at Cheltenham
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Hope you're right, Tanlic. I took 10/1 on Friday night just in case he won yesterday and he did look the winner until losing - surprisingly and slightly disappointingly to me at the time - those two lengths going downhill but I was a bit reassured that Geraghty never really asked him for everything until after hte last. Mrs O took 5 minutes off painting the hall to watch it with me (having heard me urge home Unioniste half-an-hour before - she must have thought she was on to a carry-out followed by a carry-on) and she kept saying it was going to get up. The horse, I mean.
 
If you cast your mind back to the withdrawls of Sprinter Sacre and Darlan when the ground was strength sapping and Nicky said it's the last thing on earth a horse needs after a break then you can imagine what instructions he gave Barry yesterday,

If that had been the Champion Hurdle proper Barry would have smacked Grandouet so hard coming down the hill he would have been back on terms much sooner. Mind you with a race or two under his belt I doubt if he'd have to.

Ruby knew exactly what he was doing and he said after he won on Far West that anything that wanted to sprint or come late in that ground would be struggling. He then won from the front on both Zarkandar and Shooters Wood

I think it was very much a case of Ruby wanting to win and Barry wanting to get a good run into his horse without being too hard on him and winning was secondary.

My advice is tell Mrs O I said it will get up next time guaranteed and you better hope it does.:lol:
 
Ground or fitness weren't an issue last year, yet it was an exact reprise (allowing the 8lbs differential) of that effort. imo.
 
Perhaps too easy to write off Zarkandar - for all the merits of Grandouet's performance the score is Zarkandar 3 Grandouet 0 .
 
Looking back at the Triumph Hurdle and the Supreme Hurdle Grandouet V Zarkandar and Sprinter Sacre V Al Ferof there's a striking similarity.

Both the Henderson pair were cruising on the bridle at the top of the hill while the Nicholls horses were under sever pressure to get into the race.

While Sprinter Sacre is by far the better of the two they are similar types and were regarded as big immature babies and it was all too much for them.

Of PN's pair I would be quick to say Zarkandar was the less lucky he looked the real deal that day and maybe he is good enough for the big one.

Maybe it's not just coincidence that Grandouet came of the bridle at exactly the same point in the International as he did in the Triumph and he simply is the better horse.
However I am sticking to Grandouet because he was absolutely hacking all over them in the Triumph and he is bound to be a much stronger horse now than he was back then and if that strength means he can stay on the bridle until the last I reckon he'll leave everything including the Fly for dead up the hill.

I can remember backing Magic Court the then Champion Hurdler to beat Salmon Spray giving him a few pounds and Johnny Haine laughing at Pat McCarron when he cruised past them

Giving away weight at this level in that sort of ground is a very very difficult thing to do especially if you haven't had a run for a year.

Common sense tells me the positions look very likely to be reversed at Cheltenham unless Zarkandar keeps improving which no doubt he could and I can understand anyone who wants to stick with him.
 
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